'Jurassic World' Review

To say that the world has been waiting a long time for a fourth Jurassic Park film is perhaps simultaneously true and untrue. It's definitely been a while since the last instalment was released (just shy of 14 years to be specific), but there has also been mixed sentiment on whether another sequel was warranted, with many citing the decline in quality of the two existing sequels as a sign that the franchise should perhaps be laid to rest. Personally however, I love me some Jurassic Park and always held out hope that the long-gestating 'Jurassic Park 4' would finally materialize. This weekend, after almost a decade and a half in development hell, it finally did in the form of Jurassic World, set 22 years after the events of the original film and taking place in a fully-operational theme park (all the kinks from the previous films having been presumably worked out so that nothing can possibly go wrong...ahem!) and whilst it certainly wasn't a disappointment, it definitely wasn't perfect either.

WARNING: The following review will contain minor spoilers. Nothing major, however you have been warned!

 
From the get-go the film wastes no time in sucking us into the Jurassic World experience, and much of the fun in the early scenes comes from seeing the different attractions in this fully functional dinosaur theme park, the realisation of exhibits only hinted at in the original films. The dino petting zoo was particularly cute! By dropping the audience straight into the middle of the park, we really get a sense that this is very much the status quo now and that original park creator John Hammond's dream has been a reality for a while.

We witness the park through a host of characters each with different perspectives based on (amongst other things) security clearance. And this is one of the key areas where the film falls down, there just aren't really any compelling characters. We have the two kids, Gray and Zach, arriving at the park expecting to spend a weekend with their aunt (and park operations manager, natch!) Claire.

Zach is your typical annoying kid character, but dialled up to extreme levels. The kind of kid who knows everything about everything, and whose dialogue is limited to rolling off obscure facts at inappropriate moments (seriously, there's a killer dinosaur after us, I really don't need to know the exact make, model and colour of this vehicle!), telling other characters not to break the rules or swear (when you're about to be eaten alive, swearing is kind've forgivable!), and crying about how much he wants to go home. You can tell they're going for precocious and endearing, but he just comes off as irritating. Older brother Zach doesn't fare much better, ticking all the boxes in the stereotypical 'bored teenager' column, spending almost the entire first half of the film ignoring his brother and staring at girls and/or texting. He is redeemed somewhat in a character arc that could be seen from space, eventually stepping up and being the big brother, protecting Gray and comforting him on one of the approximately 57 occasions in which he cries, but it doesn't make him all that more interesting to be honest. Tim and Lex Murphy, these kids are not!

Workaholic Claire doesn't offer much in regards to originality either, however Bryce Dallas Howard does do a decent job with the material and it is amusing seeing the character devolve from uptight, highly-wound control freak, to dishevelled, pissed off, semi-badass as her park falls apart around her. It's all in the hair! And I won't even comment on the 'running in heels' debate. If that's the one thing you have trouble accepting in this film, then you're already a winner.

Archetypal characters are fine, expected even within a summer blockbuster. The problem here however, is that none of them are particularly likeable. The only character who is remotely endearing is Chris Pratt's ex-navy officer-turned-dinosaur trainer Owen Grady, and this owes more to the fact that it's Chris Pratt than it does to any nuance in the writing. Pratt always infuses his characters with a level of likeability, due in large to the abundance of that quality in the actor himself, however there were times when even Grady started to grate a little, with many of his lines inducing spontaneous eye-rolling.

 

Grady was not alone in causing this affliction however. Much of the script is littered with clunky dialogue, providing necessary yet heavy-handed exposition and back-story, coming across as natural as if you were to regularly greet your parents by stating your name, date of birth and national security number.

The rest of the cast is filled out with the expected morally-questionable executives and scientists, none of whom we are allowed to really connect with and most of whom are simply fleshy cannon-fodder, waiting to be chomped in half to allow our primary characters to escape unscathed time and time again. Which again, is fine if we are allowed to develop an emotional connection to said primary characters, but sadly the film is lacking in this area. The eventual emergence of brotherly love between the two boys comes across as cloying and trite, and the less said about the shoehorned love story the better. And I'm not talking about the love story between Chris Pratt and a Velociraptor!

Whilst a film such as this naturally requires that the viewer brings with them a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief, there were a number of moments which did temporarily pull me out of the film and detract from the action somewhat. For example, I find it hard to surmise that a multi-billion dollar theme park, with deadly living attractions and supposedly state-of-the-art security systems, would have an attraction that allowed guests to roam freely in an enclosure (albeit in a fancy transparent gyrosphere doodad), and wouldn't include a function that automatically recalled said doodad to the start of the ride in an emergency. Simply asking guests to return is rather trusting, if not completely negligible.

Still this isn't wholly surprising, considering that virtually no-one in the film reacts in a normal human way to the events happening around them. The most realistic human reaction is perhaps the man who picks up his two drinks before running from a rampaging Pterosaur that crashes through the roof of the bar he's sitting in.

I think my biggest problem with the film, was that it didn't entirely deliver on the premise it sold to us. The promotional material for the film all centred around the fact that this was a fully-operational park, open to the public and therefore full of tasty morsels for hungry dinosaurs to snack on. And whilst we did see plenty of the park itself and the various attractions were pretty damn cool, what I really wanted to see was the film deliver on the promise of dinosaurs running loose in a fully-populated park. As it transpired, most of the action took place behind the scenes of the park, and despite a brief scene of some tourists being hassled by some Pterosaurs towards the end of the second act, there was never a sense that any of the park attendees were really in any danger. I wanted to see chaos as Velociraptors ran amok amongst chubby, sunburnt tourists holding oversized branded novelty drinks. Or small children quake in fear as a T-Rex crashed through the roof of the petting zoo, before devouring them and their balloon animals. Ok, so the second one is maybe too much to ask for, but I really felt that an opportunity was missed here. By restricting most of the action to areas off-limits to the public, and having the two brothers break the rules (much to Gray's dismay!) and go off the beaten track, the film wasn't all that different in execution to the original. At the very least, it would have benefitted from an everyman character enjoying a day at the park, to see how the action played out from the perspective of those not 'in the know' regarding the shit hitting the fan elsewhere in the park.

Which brings me to the dinosaur in the room. The main attraction, so to speak. The shiny new genetically-engineered hybrid dinosaur species Indominus Rex, who serves as the big bad carnivore of the film. To those of you asking 'Aren't all carnivorous dinosaurs kind've bad?', I'll simply say the words 'Blue the Velociraptor' and leave it at that.  Again, much hoohah was made over this new dinosaur which was bigger, badder and smarter than the T-Rex and overall it delivered. The build-up to the big girl's reveal was well handled and suitably tense, and the visual of the creature itself was undoubtedly impressive. I will admit that I imagined it would be bigger, and that it wasn't until I saw the Indominus and T-Rex side-by-side that I realised just how much bigger it actually was in comparison. Still, a big dinosaur is a big dinosaur. I'm no size-queen!

Whilst the big bad dino was suitably imposing however, the draw for me in these films has never been the big ones (I repeat, no size-queens here!), but the smaller cunning ones, in particular the Velociraptors. I have always found the raptors to be the most effectively scary dinosaurs, from their speed to their intelligence, to that just plain crazy look in their eyes, and the kitchen sequence in the original film is perhaps one of the tensest scenes in cinematic history in my opinion. That's why I had mixed feelings about what they did to the raptors in this film. Whilst the idea of trained raptors is indeed an intriguing one, and does admittedly seem like the natural progression a theme park like this would take, I can't help but feel that it somewhat defanged one of cinema's most vicious monsters. Sure they got their share of moments to be all deadly and snappy, but more time was spent trying to get us to empathise with the beasts than fear them, which for me just doesn't sit right. As far as I'm concerned Velociraptors equals 'run for your life and pray to god you don't trip up!' No amount of head-mounted cameras or the dulcet tones of Chris Pratt's voice can keep a raptor from being what it is, and that's a cold-blooded, merciless, creepy-ass killing machine!

 

Despite how it probably sounds, I actually really enjoyed the film. More than enjoyed it, I fucking loved it! It's a Jurassic Park film! It had everything a summer blockbuster should have. It just felt like something indefinable yet crucial was missing. It just didn't have that Jurassic Park quality about it. Look, I get that the original film is a high bench-mark against which to measure any blockbuster, much less a direct sequel, I just feel that it had a specific spark about it that was missing in this instalment. That sense of wonder and magic that permeated the DNA of the original film just wasn't present here. Think of the way you felt when Drs. Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler emerge from that Jeep and see the Brachiosaurus for the first time. That feeling of awe and amazement that something which should be impossible has been made possible. Jurassic World just didn't have that.

 

I can't help but feel that at least on some level this was perhaps an intentional consideration. After all, the whole plot of the film hinges on the fact that in this world, people are no longer wowed by real, live dinosaurs, they're old news, and as a result park attendance is way down. This is what leads to the creation of the genetic hybrid Indominus Rex, in an effort to attract more guests and garner interest in the park again. In this way, the film almost acts as a metaphor for the state of the film industry itself, whilst ironically participating in the very act it skewers. Studios wanting bigger and flashier productions, often resulting in an abundance of CGI and visual spectacle, but without any real depth.

Jurassic World isn't entirely devoid of depth however, it does have its touching moments, most of them admittedly relying on nostalgia for the original, or buoyed by Michael Giacchino's incorporation of John Williams' iconic score into the mix. I did appreciate the nods to the events and players of the original, none of which felt ham-fisted. It was no doubt tempting to include a veritable farm-worth of Easter eggs, however director Colin Trevorrow struck the right balance between honouring the original without being slavish to it. I will admit to a lump in my throat upon the discovery of the original visitor's centre, complete with banner and bones.

As with most blockbusters nowadays, I tried as much as possible to avoid all trailers and adverts for the film before release, in hopes of preserving the 'wow' moments and knowing as little of the plot as possible. For Jurassic World this proved almost impossible (due in part to the fact that the trailer seemed to be constantly broadcast on every channel and webpage, but also due to my fever-pitch levels of excitement causing me to cave and watch the trailer within an hour of its release), but the initial teaser trailer didn't exactly spoil too much. Somehow I already had an inkling the film would include people being chased by dinosaurs. Call me crazy! There were definitely a few of the aforementioned 'wow' moments featured in the trailer however (such as the behemoth Mososaurus devouring that poor shark), and whilst they still packed a punch in the film itself, I kind've feel like they would have been more powerful had they not had so much exposure prior to the film's release. It's not as if people need enticed to see a Jurassic Park film. It's Jurassic Freakin' Park!

Which is really my final thought. This film isn't by any means a perfect blockbuster (if such a thing even exists in as subjective a medium as film), but it's a damn good one. And more than that, it's a damn good Jurassic Park film! Let's be honest, the worst Jurassic Park film would still be better than the best that a lot of franchises churn out lately. The original film is one which means a lot to me, one of those classics from my childhood that really makes me remember why I love film in the first place, full of pure escapism and adventure. Any sequel was going to have a hard time living up to the hype, but Jurassic World does an admirable job of trying. And I don't mean that derogatorily. Despite the grilling I gave the stereotypical characters, the clunky dialogue and the lapses in judgement throughout, these elements are not in themselves a bad thing. It's these ingredients which make a good summer popcorn film. Sure you might get dizzy from rolling your eyes on a regular basis throughout, but it's all part of the fun of the ride. Watching people make stupid decisions and get themselves into a lot of trouble. Trouble with very big teeth. And in that department, Jurassic World more than delivers.

 SPOILERS REGARDING THE ENDING FROM THIS POINT ON!

 Whilst the ending does leave it open for further instalments (and let's be honest, with an opening weekend like that, there's no way there won't be more), I'm not sure there should be. This film can almost be seen as the inevitable outcome of what the original suggested. We saw Hammond's vision finally realised and then ultimately destroyed, with dinosaurs essentially retaking the park and that striking final image of the original T-Rex looking out over the ruins of the park and surveying its realm which it has now reclaimed.

As Dr. Ian Malcolm spoke about all those years ago: 'God created dinosaurs. God destroyed dinosaurs. God created Man. Man destroyed God. Man created dinosaurs. Dinosaurs eat Man...Woman inherits the Earth.' Now unless the next film takes place in a not-so-distant future, where men have all died out and women roam a ravaged earth fighting against dinosaurs (and hey, anything's possible, it's Hollywood after all!), I feel like the films have kind've completed that cycle put forth in Malcolm's words (minus the woman part), at least in the framing device of the theme park. Sure there are various directions they could take the franchise (the hints at using dinosaurs for military applications etc), but the initial conceit of dinosaurs as entertainment has pretty much come full circle now.

Unless they do Jurassic Circus...dinosaur rights campaigners would make great dinosaur chow. Sweet irony! And maybe Chris Pratt could take his dino-tamer act to the next level complete with whip (just to fuel the fires of the 'Pratt as Indiana Jones' crowds). Plus, I'd still have a chance of seeing my 'children with balloon animals' scene become a reality. Fingers crossed!

In any case, full disclosure, regardless of which direction they go, there is nothing that will stop me seeing it and no doubt loving it, such is my undying loyalty to the franchise. Just don't kill off Ellie!!

A New Dawn, A New Day, A New Blog...

Ok, so I'm in the process of starting up a new shiny 'proper' blog which I will update regularly and actually put some effort into maintaining and nurturing, featuring all sorts of rants, raves and reviews of whatever entertainment-related delight I am consuming, including everything from books, movies, TV shows, comics etc. You get the idea. There may also be some rants and musings unrelated to all-things pop culture when the mood takes me, but primarily it will be a place to collect all my thoughts and opinions on the important things in life! :D

But in the meantime I thought I'd get the ball rolling by uploading some of my recent rantings on here. Regardless of whether anyone actually reads these, I'm considering this as almost a down-payment towards my new blog, a promise to myself that yes, it will become a real actual thing that exists IRL and not just a notion in my head. So by all means, if anyone is actually alive out there and reading this, then by all means hit me up with your comments/opinions, and I'll post on here when the transition to what shall heretofore be known as 'The New Blog' is ready. K thnx bai!

Trust: Can it be Resurrected?

To trust someone is to essentially surrender to them. Sounds melodramatic I know, but it's not untrue. When you decide to trust someone unwaveringly, to put all your faith in them, what you're also doing is giving them the power to do limitless damage. But then, I guess that's the point. You trust that they wont. You can't imagine them ever doing anything to hurt you, or make you feel bad in any way, intentionally or otherwise. That's why, when that trust is broken, it comes like a punch to the gut, out of nowhere and leaves you winded, confused and ultimately as broken as the trust itself.
Now, I believe (or at least I try to) that no matter how big something is, it can eventually be gotten over. But the question is, can the trust ever be re-built? It's not easy to forgive someone, but eventually if you want to, then it can be done, but is it the same for trust? You can try, (I mean everything's worth a try right?) but is trust really something you should have to try and achieve? Shouldn't it be something that occurs naturally? When you ask yourself 'Can I trust this person?', your gut reaction will tell you the answer. But then, if that person does something to prove that you can't trust them, then that's it. You cant! Is it really that simple? Is trust something that you either have for someone, or you dont, or is it something that ebbs and flows depending on the circumstances?
I don't really want to be cheesy and say that trust is a gift, but I guess these well-worn words are true. It's something that you give to someone at great expense to yourself, and it's a prime example of a gift that feels just as good to give as it does to recieve. However, to continue this analogy, if you give someone this gift, knowing that it's an expensive gift to give, only to have it smashed and broken, are you really about to run out and buy another one? Trust doesn't come with a reciept. You can't just go back and have it replaced. But then the question is, is it worth saving up to get another one, when the same could happen again?
I guess it all comes down to how much you like taking risks. The easy option would be to jump head-first straight back in and just hope for the best. But then there's always going to be something that sets you off thinking, making you suspicious, and living like that could make a person crazy. On the other hand, why throw a good thing away over something that in years to come will be years ago? It's a decision you have to make I guess, and it's one best made taking all the evidence into account. If trust is something that you either can do or you can't, then it should be an easy decision, but then things that are supposed to be easy never are. There's no guide-book, there is no concrete answer. You just have to ask yourself, 'Is the evidence strong enough to warrant re-opening the case?' or, when it comes to trust, is it innocent until proven guilty?

A Brand New You!...er...Me!

OK, so it's a brand new year, and it's just as well I didnt make a resolution to blog more, cos hey it's almost the end of February and this is the first of me posting! But it's all good though, cos of the resolutions I did make, I only have one yet to achieve and I hear that it should be achieved within the next 7-10 days! So YAY! The others were:
1. To join the gym......CHECK! (and yes I've actually been going, not just joined!)
2. To eat healthily......CHECK! (although that wasnt a real problem in the first place)
3. And to be more positive......CHECK! (mostly) Although I just left my bag on the train and think it's gone for good, and it's kinda hard to look at the posititve side of that. But hey, I'm trying!

So that just leaves my final resolution to be....um...resolved! And that was....drum roll please!....to resume driving lessons and pass! And I've finally set a date! It's a long story but basically I've set a date, so it's kinda just a matter of time now.

So yeah, very exciting! And I must say, it feels great! I used to be such a 'say it but not often do it' person. But it's a whole new me and I'm loving it!

So! What have we learned here? (Apart from that fact that I seem to be unable to start a new paragraph without using the word 'so'!) We have learned that New Year's Resolutions are not only fun to make, they are fun to keep!

Who knew?!!!

Has 'Lost' Jumped The Shark?

OK, so we only have a few episodes of Lost left to look forward to, before it goes on the insanely long 13-week break, but to be honest, it's not looking as if I'm going to be missing it much. You would think that as they only had 6 episodes with which to get us hooked before going away for so long, that they would make them GOOD episodes. But they have been awful! OK, I may exagerate slightly, but nothing has happened! After promises of 'not focusing as much on the old characters', and 'learning more about new ones', so far we have had 4 episodes about four of the original cast. And 4 of the most boring ones too. OK, so Sun's episode wasn't bad, and Locke's kinda added a layer to the character, but Jack and Sawyer's were just pointless! And as for the storyline's on the island itself, they have so taken a turn up the bizarre route! I mean sure 'Lost' wasn't exactly the most believable show in the world to begin with, but it was just plausible. Now, they've taken it into pure fantasy. Don't get me wrong, the season has had some good moments so far, such as the opening moments of the premiere which were just amazing, but I fear that to keep the balance, we are now being subjected to 6 episodes worth of pointless, going-nowhere storylines. I do still have faith that the writers can turn this around and that ultimately they have their masterplan, but I still can't help feeling that in certain aspects and directions that the show has taken recently, that it may have leaped over the big, toothy scarer of beach-goers.

When is it That You Become 'Someone I Used to Know'?

Well, it's one of my favourite times of year and although it's all pretty exciting and Halloween is in the air, I can't help but feel a little blue. Recently I've been thinking a lot (hey what else is new) about some things I never really thought I'd ever have to think about. These are varied in themselves, but the thought at the foremost of my mind a lot of the time, is how far I have drifted away from virtually everyone I used to be close to.
It's funny, at school you have three different categories of friends. There's those people whom you see now and then, and who seem like really nice people, but who are really just aquantances who you say hi to in the corridors. Then there are those friends, whom you wouldnt really arrange to see outside of school (although you secretly want to) but who are really cool to talk to and you get on well with when you see them. Then. There are those friends. Those people who don't come along that often, who make the day bearable for you and who you never get bored of and who you want to see even when you aren't at school. Those special people whom you can never imagine being without, and who make you feel good, because you know that they feel the same way. These are the people that naively we think we will know for the rest of our lives, but recently I've come to realise that it's just not true. When we leave school, we all leave with good intentions and the words 'keep in touch' are never far from our lips. The thing is though, that soon you come to realise that that's all they are. Words. You come to see that although you still want with all your heart, to see these people and to still be a part of their life, it's just not possible anymore, and that ultimately they don't feel the same way anymore.
I guess it is kind of naive after all to think, that these people will move on and start on their different paths in life, and still have time for you. It becomes understandable in your mind, to think that people move on and don't want to be held back by remnants of their past. And then your mind becomes clearer and it's in these moments of clarity, that you discover that you're really just telling yourself that you understand, so as to make it easier on yourself. When in reality, you really don't understand how someone who you spent such a long and significant time in your life with and who really was, all you wanted, all you needed, and your everything, how to them you can simply become, 'Someone I used to know'.

Long Time No Blog!

Well, I haven't posted on here for a while but thought I would post just to voice my opinion on various things of recent. And by 'various things' I mean TV!!

First off, the Lost season 3 premiere. Opening scene? I gotta say FANTASTIC!! Rest of the episode.....still good, but not a whole lot happened. And Ben? What's so shocking about that? Although I coulda sworn I heard that name mentioned before somewhere in the show. If somebody can remember (that's if there is actually something to remember) and if anybody actually reads this, then leave a comment telling me where.

Next, I wanna mention all the new shows that have started lately. I still have a few yet to check out, but of the ones I have watched so far the ones that stand out are:
1. Men In Trees. This show is just so good! Granted I have only watched 2 episodes so far, but surely that's a fact in favour of the show that I love it already! It's just so full of heart and emotion and just so laugh-out-loud funny, which hasnt been around in a while. I just fell in love with this show straight away and I hope the network gives it a chance.
2. Vanished. This is a pretty good show. I mean, it has me a little confused some of the time, but it's entertaining and perfectly watchable. I mean, don't get me wrong I can't see it lasting too long, (the premise alone doesnt lend itself to a long-running series), but yeah it keeps me watching.

Other shows I have checked out so far, which were good but didnt make me go WOW! are:
1. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. It's pretty good I guess, but the stories just dont seem tight enough for me and sometimes to be blunt I find it a bit boring. But after only 2 episodes, I can't justify bailing on it, so I'll give it a chance and stick it out a bit longer. Every show deserves a chance to find it's feet.
2. Jericho. I was really excited about this show when I heard about it, but I must say the pilot just did not deliver what I had expected. To begin with it seemed like it could be good and it did have it's moments, but it just seemed a little emotionless and rushed, and the weight of the community's predicament didnt really hit home. However, with this one I have faith that it can pick up, I do however feel that the oppurtunity for a potentially explosive (pardon the pun) pilot, has been sadly passed by.

After that, I just wanna give a list of show which I have ready to watch and will give opinions on later. These are:
Kidnapped
Runaway
Ugly Betty
Six Degrees
Justice
Dexter
Brothers & Sisters
The Nine

Before I finish, I just wanna give kudos to some of the returning shows, which have returned with fantastic starts to their second and third seasons respectively, which are Desperate Housewives and Supernatural. Way to go!

5 Years ago Today...

It's one those things that can't really be put into words. Everyone feels how they feel about what happened and yet no one can really express it. The thing is though, that no one needs to. We all experienced what happened on September 11th 2001, whether directly or indirectly, and we all felt the impact that it had on the world. The fact that 5 years on, it still affects us all, (and there was no doubt that it would) even those of us with no real links to the events, shows just how much the world has changed. There is nothing I or anyone can say to make things seem better, or even to console, but on this day every year, if we can all just stop and think, as the families of the lost must do every day, about the events of that day and how an uncountable number of people banded together and became forever known as heroes in their own right, then nothing will really change, but it's definitely something.

What Else Is New?

After that not so chipper post, I thought I'd post basically just a random list of current interests at the moment. So....

Televisual Obsession of the Moment: 'Reunion'. It is such a good show and minutes into the pilot, I fell in love with it! Have only seen the first 2 episodes so far, (number 3 is waiting for me!), but I just can't get enough. I am aware that sadly it was cancelled, and I'm not happy about it, but it just makes the episodes I have yet to see all the more special! Long live the 80s!!

DVD Obsession of the Moment: 'Twin Peaks'. It's excellent! Again, only watched the first 2 episodes, but more shall be watched tonight! It's just so creepy and intriguing! Actually I'm not ashamed to admit that I have had to watch it from behind covers on occasion. Creepy man!

Musical Obsession of the Moment: 'Breakaway' by Kelly Clarkson. I just love this song! Can't get enough and have been listening to it so much recently. Probably far too much, but hey if my iPod wants to make me listen to it when I press shuffle, then hey it must be a sign!
Also, another musical obsession is 'Snakes On a Plane (Bring It)' by Cobra Starship. From the movie, it's just such a wicked song!

Textual Obsession of the Moment (aka What I am Reading at the Moment): 'The Martian Chronicles' by Ray Bradbury. Recommended by my favourite magazine (SFX!!), I started reading this purely on that, and it is actually really good. And apparently it's like a classic, so that's cool too!

So there you go, that's all my latest obessions. They will no doubt change soon, and I'll move onto something else, but the obsession of these ones still stand, it just wont be 'of the moment' anymore... :D